THE Royal Surrey County Hospital has completed its first operation using a pioneering new robot for the entire procedure, potentially shaving weeks off the recovery time.

The da Vinci robot, heralded as a ‘quantum leap in technology’, enables surgeons to operate using enhanced 3D vision, greater precision and agility thanks to the steady and manoeuvrable robotic arms.

Surgeons carried out the hospital’s first operation where the procedures were performed entirely robotically on November 12 for a hysterectomy, and have since completed two more.

The hospital was able to buy the £1.37 million robot thanks to a major fundraising appeal, but donations are still needed to pay for the running costs.

The da Vinci robot allows a surgeon working from a bedside console to have a much greater view than conventional keyhole surgery.

Consultant Peter Barton-Smith, who travelled to Texas with two other surgeons for training in robotic surgery, performed the first Royal Surrey total da Vinci operation.

He said: “It’s the early days of robotic surgery in the UK but certainly it means that patients will be having faster surgery and stay in hospital less time than open surgery.

“At the moment we are in the learning curve and getting used to the equipment, so surgery won’t be as quick as it could be because we are being cautious.

“But as the procedures get more familiar, operating time will be much shorter.”

Mr Barton-Smith added that the da Vinci means there is much less blood loss.

“In one hysterectomy, the patient lost less than one teaspoon of blood in the whole operation,” he said.

“Although it doesn’t really make much difference if the patient loses one teaspoon or 10, it helps our view if you don’t have blood lying around.”

The UK now has 17 of these robots, whereas the USA has more than 1,000.

Mr Barton-Smith added: “I wondered if the patients would say, ‘You‘re not coming near me with a robot’. But they have all been enthusiastic because if you explain you can be more precise with surgery.”

Fellow consultant Simon Butlet-Manuel said: “It’s exciting the hospital has invested in this cutting edge technology and shows the commitment of the trust to high quality surgery and cancer care.

“This is the future of surgery and this technology is already here for us to use.”

Karen Nash, 49, from Guildford, is one of the three patients to have the entire robotic procedure, which she had on Wednesday last week.

“It’s a fantastic robot,” she said. “I was surprised technology had come along so much but I had no problem because I had every trust in them.

“When I heard about the recovery time for this type of operation, I thought it could only be a good thing and, the way I feel now, I think it’s amazing.”

Mrs Nash left hospital the morning after the operation, staying there less than 24 hours.

“I’m able to function under my own steam now. At the end of the day, the robot is as good as the surgeon who is using it.

“Anything that helps the surgeon and other patients is brilliant,” she said. “I had no misgivings whatsoever.”